Strand handling apparatus



June 23, 1942. E. w. REYNOLDS ETAL 2,287,708

STRAND HANDLING APPARATUS I Filed May 9, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A TTORNE)June23, 1942. E. w. REYNOLDS ET AL. 2,287,708

STRAND HANDLING APPARATUS Fil ed May 9', 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORSE.W. REYNOLDS D. 1- WA TERS 52 f Ow -M ATTORNEY Patented June 23, 1942UNlTED S TENT OFFICE STRAND HANDLING APPARATUS Application May 9, 1941,Serial No. 392,670

8 Claims.

This invention relates to strand handling apparatus, and moreparticularly to apparatus for reeling or taking up cable underpredeterminedly constant tension.

In the manufacture of multi-conductor electrical cables, especially therelatively fine stranded cables employed in the telephone arts,insulated electrical Wires are drawn simultaneously from a plurality ofsupply spools, reels, coils an axis at right angles to the axis of itstwisting rotation, the driving means including means to or the like, arelaid closely together side by side, '16

twisted as a group, provided with some kind of binding or wrapping tokeep them in place, and are taken up for storage or further handling orprocessing on a reel, spool, or the like. In most such procedures thetwisting operation necessil5 tate's rotation either of the group ofsupplies as a whole or of the take-up reel about the axis of the groupof strands or cable. Where the latter method is chosen a double rotarymotion of the take-up reel is required. This reel must rotate 520 aboutits own axis, in order to wind or take up the completed cable uponitself; and to do this its axis of take-up rotation must in general beat right angles to the axis of the cable. In order to effect or tofollow the otherwise effected twist- 2'5 ing of the cable, the reel mustalso rotate about an axis generally parallel to or coincident with theaxis of the cable, and hence at right angles to the axis of the reelstake-up rotation.

Usually, for this purpose, there is provided a cradle or frame rotatableabout the axis of the cable to eifect the twisting. The take-up reel isthen mounted Within this cradle to rotate therewith for the twisting,but also with the axis of the reel itself at right angles to the axis ofthe '35 rotation of the cradle, and in such fashion that the reel mayrotate about its own axis also in order to effect the taking up of thetwisted cable on the reel. Means must, of course, be provided to drivethe cradle in rotation about the twisting axis, the cradle carrying thereel with it, and means must also be provided to additionally drive thereel inside of the rotating cradle additionally about the axis of thereel. Further complications of this last problem are introduced becauseof the fact that the rotary take-up speed of the reel must beprogressively diminished from empty reel at the beginning to full reelat the end because of the increasing diameter of the body of cable onthe reel and because the linear a reel, mounted to have twistingrotation, about adjustably vary the speed of rotation of the reel aboutits axis progressively while in operation and means to adjust topredetermined values the average take-up speed and also the range ofvariation of the take-up speed.

With the above and other objects in View, the invention may be embodiedin a strand handling apparatus provided with a rotarily driven cradle inwhich is mounted a take-up reel to have its axis at right angles to theaxis of the cradle, together with means to drive the reel in rotationabout its own axis, the said means comprising a constant speed drivingmember, a hydraulic coupling of adjustably constant torque output drivenby the member and driving a shaft extending into the cradle in the axisof rotation thereof, and means within the cradle to couple the reel tothe shaft to be driven thereby, in combination with an adjustablevariable speed transmission driven in synchronism with the cradle, andmeans driven by the transmission to progressively vary the adjustabletorque control means of the hydraulic coupling.

Other objects and features of the invention will appear from thefollowing detailed description of one embodiment thereof taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings in which the same referencenumerals areapplied to identical parts in the several figures and inwhich Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic plan View of a cable take-up apparatusand drive therefor constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is an end view thereof with the motor removed;

Fig. 3 is a vertical central longitudinal section of the hydrauliccoupling; and

Fig. 4 is a partial view corresponding to Fig. 2, of a modified form.

As herein disclosed the invention is embodied in take-up apparatus for amachine for manufacturing cable, of which machine only so much is shownas is required for an understanding of the present invention. It isassumed that a cable H] has, in preceding parts of the machine notshown, been fully formed and twisted and is now to be taken up. Thiscable as it enters Fig. 11 from the left, is rotating about it own axisafter leaving the twisting means and is to be taken up on the take-upreel 20 mounted in the cradle M to be rotatable with the cradle and alsorotatable about its own axis. The cradle'2l is rotated about the axis ofits bearing 22 by means such as belts 23 from a shaft 24 driven atconstant speed by means not shown. The belts 23 drive a pulley 25rigidly secured on the hollow stub shaft 26 of the cradle. The cradle isto be assumed to be rotating at the same speed and in the same directionas the cable to maintain the twist of the latter unchanged, and hencethe reel also rotates with the cable and so can take it up withoutaffecting its twist. The cable comes to the reel from the twisting meansthrough a distributor device generally indicated at 21, which is rotatedwith the cable, cradle and reel and serves to guide the cable to lie inregular layers of coils on the reel as the cable is taken up thereon.For further details of the cabling machine generally and suitabletwisting means and distributor means, reference may be had, if desired,to U. S. Patent 2,171,993 issued September 5, 1939, to Lester O.Reichelt, and more particularly to Fig. 4 thereof.

The reel 2i] is driven in take-up rotation by a wheel 28 and worm shaft29, the latter being driven by suitable means such as a chain andsprockets from a take-up drive shaft 30 journalled within the cradleshaft 26 and thus entering the cradle along the axis of rotationthereof. The shaft 30 is connected to and driven by the output member 4!of a hydraulic coupling device generally indicated at 40 and moreparticularly described hereinafter. The input member 42 of the couplingis driven by any suitable constant speed driving member such as theshaft 60 driven by a constant electric motor Si or other suitable means.The shaft 60 might well be driven from the shaft 24. However, inpractice 11; is preferable to start the take-up at the beginning of acycle of operation a few seconds before the main apparatus starts inorder to have tension throughout the length of the cable when twistingcommences or re-commences. Hence it is preferred, although notnecessary, to drive the shaft 60 independently of the shaft 24.

The device 40 serves to convert the constant speed imposed by the shaft60 on the member 42 into constant torque delivered by the member 4| tothe shaft 39 and so to the reel 23. Because of this general arrangementthe torque at the reel 20 is wholly independent of the speed anddirection of motion of the cradle, despite the differential effect ofthe quasi-planetary gearing represented by whatever means is provided totransmit the drive from the shaft 30 to the reel 20. Thus the elaboratecounter vailing planetary gearing outside the cradle is done away with,which is required when the shaft 30 or its equivalent is driven directlyfr'c'im constant speed means.

Were the effective diameter of the reel to remain constant, the reel,driven in the manner described by a constant torque drive, would effecta constant linear tension on the cable and hence would wind the cable atconstant linear speed, a desideratum in this art since the pitch of thecable lay is directly controlled by the ratio of its linear speed to therotary speed of the cradle, which latter is constant. But, as the cableis wound on the reel, the effective diameter increases; and therefore,if the reel is to exert a constant pull on the cable, the torqueimpressed upon the reel must be correspondingly increased.

Since the device 40 is constructed to deliver constant torque, whichhowever can be adjusted to have its otherwise constant value varied byaltering the position of the adjusting lever 43, the necessary change intorque delivered to the shaft 30 is eifected by means of auxiliaryapparatus provided for that purpose.

The shaft 26, as already noted, isdriven at constant speed from theconstant speed shaft 24. By means of a sprocket and chain drive, theinput shaft of an adjustably variable speed transmission device 62 isdriven from the shaft 26 at constant speed. The device 62 has a handwheel 63 by means of which its output shaft 64 can be made to run at anyconstant speed within a considerable range. The output shaft 64 iscoupled through a worm and wheel or other high ratio speed reductiondevice 65 to a shaft 66. On the shaft 66 is rigidly secured one member61 of a simple clutch. The other member 68 is mounted to slide on theshaft into and out of engagement with the member 61, being normally heldin engagement by a spring 69. A lever 10 rigid with the member 68 isconnected through a shock-absorbing pitman H to the adjusting lever 43of the hydraulic coupling 40.

In operation an empty reel 20 is placed in position in the cradle andthe end of the cable attached to the barrel of the reel. The apparatusis then started with the various adjustments in the position shown inFigs. 1 and 2. The cradle 2| rotates at constant speed, and the cable istwisted at constant speed. The device 40 is set at the start to deliverto the shaft 30 the torque required to make the reel take up the cableat the linear velocity needed to produce the desired pitch of lay of thecable. The cradle, through its shaft 26, drives the transmission 62, thereduction gear 65 and the shaft 66 to move the lever '10 gradually andthus through the pitman "H and the lever 43 to increase the torque ofthe shaft 30 as required to maintain the pull of the reel on the cableconstant by compensating for the increasing effective diameter andlessening efiective mechanical advantage of the reel.

Theoretically the increase in effective diameter of the reel is notcontinuous. This diameter remains constant throughout the winding on ofone full layer of cable from reel head to reel head and then jumpsabruptly when the first turn of the next layer is wound. In theorytherefore, the continuous variation of torque at the reel effected bythe above described adjustment by continuous movement of the lever 43 isnot correct. However, in practice, where the diameter of the cable beingwound is small in proportion to the diameter of the barrel of the reel,the error due to this is negligible and the smooth curve of the torquefollows the stepped curve of the effective diameter of the reel closelyenough. But if'the cable diameter is considerably larger as compared tothe reel barrel diameter, the departures of the two curves from eachother may become material. In such a case, the apparatus may be modifiedas shown in Fig. 4.

In this case a stepped cam H2 is secured to the clutch member 68 andruns against a cam roller I13 on a lever I70 pivoted to any suitablefixed support and connected through the pitman H to move the lever 43step by step. The cam I12 is so formed as to advance the lever 43 onlyat the end of each successive layer of cable wound on the reel.

The construction and mode of operation in detail of the device 62 are nopart of the present invention. All that is important here is that theratio of input speed to output speed be normally constant but adjustablyvariable by some means such as the Wheel or handle 63. The familiardevice commercially known as the Graham transmission is suitable forthis purpose. If, a detailed description of its structure and operationbe desired, reference may be had to U. S. Patent 2,171,993 of September5, 1939, to L. O. Reichelt already referred to above, and particularlyto Fig. 3 of that patent.

The adjustably constant torque hydraulic coupling indicated at 40 isshown in detail in vertical longitudinal central section in Fig. 3. Theinput shaft 60 is rigidly coupled to the input or driving member 42, ahollow half annulus or annularly dished plate coaxial to the shaft. Itsannular recess is provided with a plurality of radially transverse fins44 having arcuate stiffening ribs 45 at their free edges. A similarlyshaped, formed and recessed output or driven member 4| secured on theoutput shaft 30 faces the input member, concave to concave, close to itbut not quite in contact. On the outer edge of the member 4| are securedthe components of an annular chambered housing 46 adapted to contain andbe a reservoir for a supply of oil or other suitable liquid not shown. Ascoop tube or nozzle 41 extends more or less radially outwardly from itseccentric seat in which it .is pivotably adjustable by means of thelever 43 to have its outer end lie more or less close to the outerperipheral wall of the annular chamber of the housing 46.

The axial end of the scoop tube 41 communicates with an annular passage48 concentrically around and near to the shaft 3B, and in the fixed basemember 49, in which the tube 4'! is seated pivotably. The annularpassage 48 communicates near the general axis with the space 59 betweenthe housing 46 and the output member 4|.

For operation the required amount of oil is assumed to be present in thehousing. Due to centrifugal force created in the oil by the housing, theoil will lie in a peripheral band on the inner side of the peripheralwall of the rotating housing, rotating with the housing. The scoop tube41 will pick up oil from this, force it into the passage 48 and thenceinto the space 5|) and thence radially inwardly between the members 4|and 42. Entering the transversely vaned recess of the member 42, thisoil is forced out by centrifugal force and into the member 4|, where itmoves toward the center and up the central dish and across to the member42 to be again thrown radially out and back into member 4| again. Theamount of power transferred thus by the oil from the member 42 to themember 4| depends upon the relative amount of oil circulating thusbetween these two members, Small leak holes 5| allow oil to leak fromthis circulation back into the body of oil in the rotating reservoir 46,to be scooped up by the nozzle 41 and returned to work again. The nozzlebeing adjustable toward and from a position of maximum effectiveness,the balance between oil delivered by the nozzle and oil returningthrough the leak holes can be set at any fraction of the amount of oilneeded for full load transmission by operation of the lever 43. Thus thetorque delivered by the shaft 30 is constant and adjustable to anyfractional value of the maximum.

Thus the apparatus disclosed starting with constant speed andsubstantially unlimited torque at the shaft 6!], delivers constanttorque and speed dependent upon the resistance to that torque at thereel 20 so that the reel may be able to and does exert substantiallyconstant linear tension on the cable being wound. The value of thistorque is maintained constant at the effective winding radius of thereel by the actuation of the lever 43, to compensate for the increase ofthis radius as the reel fills, by the devices 62,

65 and I, either through the lever 10 or through the cam I12 and thelever I10.

The embodiment disclosed is illustrative and may be modified anddeparted from in various ways without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention as pointed out in and limited only by theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an apparatus for handling strands having a cradle driven inrotation at constant speed and a reel mounted in the cradle with itsaxis at an angle to the axis of the cradle to be rotatable with thecradle about the axis thereof and simultaneously rotatable about its ownaxis, means to drive the reel in rotation about its own axis to exertconstant tension upon a strand wound on the reel, the said meanscomprising a shaft entering the cradle in the axis of rotation thereof,means to drive the reel from the shaft, constant speed power supplymeans, and constant torque transmission means interposed between thepower supply means and the shaft to convert the constant speed variabletorque of the power means into constant torque variable speed at theshaft.

2. In an apparatus for handling strands having a cradle driven inrotation at constant speed and a reel mounted in the cradle with itsaxis at an angle to the axis of the cradle to be rotatable with thecradle about the axis thereof and simultaneously rotatable about its ownaxis, means to drive the reel inrotation about its own axis to exertconstant tension upon a strand wound on the reel, the said meanscomprising a shaft entering the cradle in the axis of rotation thereof,means to drive the reel from the shaft, constant speed power supplymeans, and constant torque hydraulic transmission means interposedbetween the power supply means and the shaft to convert the constantspeed variable torque of the power means into constant torque variablespeed at the shaft. I

3. In an apparatus for handling strands having a cradle driven inrotation at constant speed and a reel mounted in the cradle with itsaxis at an angle to the axis of the cradle to be rotatable with thecradle about the axis thereof and simultaneously rotatable about its ownaxis, means to drive the reel in rotation about its own axis to exertconstant tension upon a strand wound on the reel, the said meanscomprising a shaft entering the cradle in the axis of rotation thereof,means to drive the reelfrom the shaft, constant speed power supplymeans, and adjustable constant torque transmission means interposedbetween the power supply means and the shaft to convert the constantspeed variable torque of the power means into adjustably constant torquevariable speed at the shaft, in combination with means to adjust thetorque of the transmission means to correspond to the change ineffective radius of the reel with changing strand content of the reel.

4. In an apparatus for handling strands having a cradle driven inrotation at constant speed and a reel mounted in the cradle with itsaxis at an angle to the axis of the cradle to be rotatable with thecradle about the axis thereof and simultaneously rotatable about its ownaxis, means to drive the reel in rotation about its own axis to exertconstant tension upon a strand wound on the reel, the saidmeanscomprising a shaft entering the cradle in the axis of rotationthereof, means to drive the reel from the shaft, constant speed powersupply means, and adjustable constant torque transmission meansinterposed between the power supply means and the shaft to convert theconstant speed variable torque of the power means into adjustablyconstant torque variable speed at the shaft, in combination with meansto adjust the torque of the transmission means to correspond to thechange in eifective radius of the reel with changing strand content ofthe reel and means driven by the rotating cradle to actuate theadjusting means.

5. In an apparatus for handling strands having a cradle driven inrotation at constant speed and a reel mounted in the cradle with itsaxis at an angle to the axis of the cradle to be rotatable with thecradle about the axis thereof and simultaneously rotatable about its ownaxis, means to drive the reel in rotation about its own axis to exertconstant tension upon a strand wound on the reel, the said meanscomprising a shaft entering the cradle in the axis of rotation thereof,means to drive the reel from the shaft, constant speed power supplymeans, and adjustable constant torque transmission means interposedbetween the power supply means and the shaft to convert the constantspeed variable torque of the power means into adjustably constant torquevariable speed at the shaft, in combination with means to adjust thetorque of the transmission means to correspond to the change ineffective radius of the reel with changing strand content of the reeland mean to actuate the adjusting means comprising a speed reducingtransmission driven by the rotating cradle and a member driven by thespeed reducing transmission to operate the adjusting means.

6. In an apparatus for handling strands having a cradle driven inrotation at constant speed and a reel mounted in the cradle with itsaxis at an angle to the axis of the cradle to be rotatable with thecradle about the axis thereof and simultaneously rotatable about its ownaxlis, means to drive the reel in rotation about its own axis to exertconstant tension upon a strand wound on the reel, the said meanscomprising a shaft entering the cradle in the axis of rotation thereof,means to drive the reel from the shaft, constant speed power supplymeans, and adjustable constant torque transmission means interposedbetween the power supply means and r the shaft to convert the constantspeed variable torque of the power means into adjustably constant torquevariable speed at the shaft, in combination with means to adjust thetorque of the transmission means to correspond to the change ineffective radius of the reel with changing strand content of the reeland means to actuate the adjusting means comprising an adjustable ratiospeed reducing transmission driven by the rotating cradle and a memberdriven by the speed reducing transmission to operate the ad justingmeans.

'7. In an apparatus for handling strands having a cradle driven inrotation at constant speed and a reel mounted in the cradle with itsaxis at an angle to the axis of the cradle to be rotatable with thecradle about the axis thereof and simultaneously rotatable about its ownaxis, means to drive the reel in rotation about its own axis to exertconstant tension upon a strand wound on the reel, the said meanscomprising a shaft entering the cradle in the axis of rotation thereof,means to drive the reel from the shaft, constant speed power supplymeans, and adjustable constant torque transmission means interposedbetween the power supply means and the shaft to convert the constantspeed variable torque of the power means into adjustably constant torquevariable speed at the shaft, in combination with means to adjust thetorque of the transmission means to correspond to the change ineffective radius of the reel with changing strand content of the reeland means to actuate the adjusting means comprising a speed reducingtransmission driven by the rotating cradle and a lever driven by thespeed reducing transmission to operate the adjusting means.

8. In an apparatus for handling strands having a cradle driven inrotation at constant speed and a reel mounted in the cradle with itsaxis at an angle to the axis of the cradle to be rotatable with thecradle about the axis thereof and simultaneously rotatable about its ownaxis, means to drive the reel in rotation about its own axis to exertconstant tension upon a strand wound on the reel, the said meanscomprising a shaft entering the cradle in the axis of rotation thereof,means to drive the reel from the shaft, constant speed power supplymeans, and adjustable constant torque transmission means interposedbetween the power supply means and the shaft to convert the constantspeed variable torque of the power means into adjustably constant torquevariable speed at the shaft, in combination with means to adjust thetorque of the transmission means to correspond to the change ineffective radius of the reel with changing strand content of the reeland means to actuate the adjusting means comprising a speed reduoingtransmission driven by the rotating cradle and a stepped cam driven bythe speed reducing transmission to operate the adjusting means.

ELLWOOD W. REYNOLDS. DANIEL V. WATERS.

